Page 19 of Artifice (Pros and Cons Mysteries #4)

O live climbed in her car, knowing she had some time on her hands until she met Principal Denarau for dinner.

She didn’t want to go back to the bed-and-breakfast yet. And though she wanted to talk to Stephanie at The Salty Kettle again, she didn’t want to eat there twice so close together.

Instead, she headed up the road to a pull-off she’d seen earlier.

Olive drew her car to a stop at the scenic overlook, cutting the engine but making no move to exit the vehicle. Through the windshield, the vast panorama of Maine’s rugged coastline unfolded before her in muted tones of gray and blue.

The Atlantic stretched toward the horizon, its surface rippled and darkened by the approaching storm. Closer to shore, whitecaps broke against jagged black rocks.

Tendrils of mist clung to the distant mountains that rose in front of her, their peaks entirely obscured by low-hanging clouds that seemed to breathe, expanding and contracting as they rolled across the landscape.

The air between sea and sky had a peculiar quality—not quite rain, not quite fog—that softened all edges and blurred the boundary between water and air.

Occasional breaks in the cloud cover allowed weak sunlight to pierce through, creating brief, luminous patches on the water’s surface that gleamed like scattered silver coins before being swallowed again by shadows.

The entire scene possessed a melancholy beauty that resonated with Olive’s current state of mind—a stark, elemental landscape where secrets could be buried deep but nothing truly disappeared.

Why did she have a feeling those cliffs had something to do with these students’ disappearances? She didn’t know what that might be. But she knew she feared for their safety.

Not just the ones who’d disappeared. But all the students still at the school as well.

Something didn’t feel right.

Had none of the parents who’d sent their kids to Lighthouse Harbor noticed how off something felt here? Or perhaps they’d been so desperate to get help for their children that they had chosen to ignore any red flags.

Leaning back in her seat, Olive pulled out her phone and glanced at the screen, remembering her promise to call Jason. She’d be at dinner tonight with Principal Denarau so that wouldn’t be a good time.

Jason was probably still working, but maybe he could talk now.

Olive knew he wouldn’t answer if he was too busy.

She dialed his number and waited.

Her lungs tightened.

Why did she feel anxious? She wasn’t usually the nervous type, especially when it came to things like this. However, nothing had felt right with Jason ever since she discovered that fact about Jason’s dad.

Maybe she would tell Jason what she’d discovered. Get his thoughts on it.

She wasn’t sure yet.

“Hey, Olive.” Jason’s deep voice filled the line.

Against her will, her heart quickened. “Hey, yourself. Bad time?”

“Never when it comes to you.”

Warmth filled her chest.

For someone who’d been mostly on her own for the past ten years, it felt good to hear those words coming from him.

However, she needed to nip those feelings in the bud until she figured out how to proceed.

“How’s your new case going?” he asked.

Olive filled him in on the situation. She knew she could trust him, at least in that regard.

When she finished, Jason said, “Be careful, Olive. I don’t like the sound of that. I wish I could be there with you.”

“I appreciate the sentiment. But?—”

“I know you can take care of yourself. That you’re a trained professional and very competent. But that doesn’t mean I still wouldn’t like to be there with you.”

Her muscles loosened slightly.

Having someone watching out for you wasn’t all that bad. “I appreciate you wanting to have my back. I really do.”

He paused before asking, “When do you think we’ll be able to see each other again?”

That was a good question. How did Olive even answer? She didn’t want to lead him on. But she didn’t want to ghost him either.

“Let me check my calendar, and I’ll get back with you. Hopefully, soon.”

“Good. Because we haven’t really had the chance yet to talk about . . . us.”

A lump formed in her throat. “No, we haven’t, have we?”

They weren’t really an official item yet. Sure, they’d exchanged one kiss—one very nice kiss—but that didn’t mean they were in a relationship.

So maybe she should try to get together with him once this assignment was over. By then, she could decide how much she wanted to share with him.

It would be even better if Tevin discovered the connection Jason’s father had with her family’s case before then. He was working to see what he could find out.

Voices sounded in the background on the other side of the line.

“Listen,” Jason said. “I’m being called so I need to go. But I look forward to talking to you more and hopefully seeing you soon.”

“Same here.” Olive’s heart felt heavy with the possibility that maybe this thing between them wouldn’t work out.

She ended the call and stared out over the tumultuous waves, realizing they were a good reflection of her soul.

Olive headed to the bed-and-breakfast to get freshened up—and maybe to talk to Tevin if he was back from his hike.

Today had been quite the ordeal.

She had a lot to process, and Tevin was a great one to talk things through with.

She was disappointed when she pulled into the small lot in front of the house and saw his van wasn’t there.

That was fine. They’d have time to talk later. In the meantime, she wanted to do some additional research on Principal Denarau.

She stepped into the bed-and-breakfast, noting that no one was around. Mrs. Potts might be somewhere nearby—or in her private residence.

But for now it was quiet.

Olive walked upstairs, her steps surprisingly heavy.

Something on one of the wooden steps caught her eye, and she bent to pick it up.

She squinted as she stared at the object between her fingers.

It looked like some kind of capsule. Maybe filled with vitamins?

It must have fallen out of someone’s bag as they checked in, she assumed.

She slipped it in her pocket, figuring she’d probably throw it away.

Olive reached her room and froze.

The door wasn’t latched.

She was certain she’d closed and locked it before she left this morning.

In her line of work, she couldn’t afford to overlook those details.

So why was it cracked open right now? Even though she’d requested no housekeeping today, had Mrs. Potts come in anyway?

Slowly she pushed the door open, not sure what to expect on the other side.

She scanned the place, her instincts on alert.

Everything appeared to be just as she left it. Yet something felt different.

Someone had been inside. Olive was certain of it.

Her muscles now tight, she stepped into the room and slowly walked toward her dresser.

She grabbed her laptop and set it on the bed.

Opening it, she tried to type in her passcode.

But the computer quickly told her that too many attempts had been made.

Alarm washed through her.

Someone had tried to gain access to her computer.